Stephen Zander wrote: > No, I meant what I said. While at least one country in the world > refuses to recognise software patents, there will be a safe place for > that which we currently call "non-US" to exist (the fact that it's > currently called "non-US" rather than "non-encumbered" or something > else is irrelevant to me). If every nation in the world supports > software patents, then Debian will no longer be able to package > potentially patent infringing code because it will be illegal to do > so everywhere (yes, that last staement is a tautology).
The Netherlands already recognizes software patents, but Debian would be free to package and distribute infringing code from a Dutch server. Only *commercial* distribution is forbidden by the patent laws of most countries. Debian is a non-profit organization and so immune to Dutch patent law. > I don't believe the US will ever stop supporting softare patents; > there's too much money at stake. By the same reasoning, the EC member states should also all support software patents. The European industry also has a lot of money at stake in software-related R&D (all the software in DVD players and mobile phones, for example). Regards, Arnoud -- Arnoud Engelfriet, (almost) Dutch patent attorney - Speaking only for myself Patents, copyright and IPR explained for techies: http://www.iusmentis.com/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
